Minn. man charged with cooking his cat

BUFFALO, Minn. -- A Minnesota man has been jailed and charged with mistreatment of animals after allegedly cooking his pet cat.

Wright County, Minn., deputies were sent to an apartment in Monticello Monday on a welfare check after receiving a call from the father of 28-year-old Cody Mann. His father told dispatchers that Mann had been making strange comments, and explained that Mann is a known drug user and suffers from mental illness. A squad went to Mann's apartment but was unable to make contact with him.

A short time later dispatchers received a call from the manager of Mann's apartment, saying there was a burning smell coming from apartment 204. A deputy responded and noticed a smell of smoke and burned hair coming from the apartment. Authorities entered and found Mann, who reportedly admitted he had skinned the cat and put it in the oven to bake so he could eat it.

The defendant told deputies he didn't know what the problem was, as it was his cat and he wanted to see what it would taste like with onions.

Mann was taken to a Monticello hospital for a mental evaluation, but was cleared and transported to the Wright County Jail.